1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compositions and methods for producing plants with increased biomass.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the population of the world increases, a major goal of agricultural research is to improve the biomass yield of crop and forage plant species.
Such improvements have until recently depended on selective breeding of plants for desirable characteristics. However for many plants the heterogeneous genetic complements produced in off-spring do not result in the same desirable traits as those of their parents, thus limiting the effectiveness of selective breeding approaches.
Advances in molecular biology now make it possible to genetically manipulate the germplasm of both plants and animals. Genetic engineering of plants involves the isolation and manipulation of genetic material and the subsequent introduction of such material into a plant. This technology has led to the development of plants that are capable of expressing pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, plants with increased pest resistance, increased stress tolerance, and plants that express other beneficial traits.
Whilst it is known in the art that certain growth factors may be applied to increase plant size, the application of such growth factors is both costly and time consuming. Thus, there exists a need for plants with increased biomass relative to their cultivated counterparts.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved compositions and/or methods for developing plant varieties with altered biomass or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.